This invention generally relates to electrical connectors, more particularly to small sized electrical connectors having a stacked arrangement. The illustrated connectors provide an adapter cage assembly for mounting multiple connectors in a stacked array of connector sets with one connector set mounted above another connector set. The invention includes multiple components which interlock together into a cage assembly for holding multiple modular transducers in place.
Electrical connectors are used in a wide variety of applications ranging from simple connecting interfaces between hard conductor wiring to more sophisticated applications involving such components as printed circuit boards, flat flexible cables and optical fibers. Basically, electrical connectors include some form of contacts, terminals or other conductors which interconnect one electrical device to another electrical device. The electrical connectors may involve systems whereby the connectors provide receiver-transmitter functions which, in addition, can convert high speed signals from solid (copper) cables or fiber optic cables to high speed signals on a system printed circuit board. As used herein, the terms “electrical” or “electrical connectors” or “electrical cable” are intended to include optical devices.
For instance, in the telecommunications industry, switching systems or circuitry may be provided on a rather sizable mother board at a particular location. A plurality of high speed electrical converter modules are mounted by appropriate frame structures on the mother board. Mating “plug-in” connector modules are plugged into the converter modules from outside the switching system. The incoming signals from the cables attached to the plug-in modules are at high speed, such as in the gigabit range, and the converter modules transfer and maintain the signals at high speed and transmit them to the circuitry on the mother board.
Electrical connectors which are adapted for mounting to printed circuit boards are known in the art and are commonly used for connection between two electrical communication devices. In order to ensure that a proper connection has been made to thereby create a link between the electrical communication devices, indicators may be incorporated into circuits on the printed circuit board. These indicators are typically light emitting diodes (LEDs) which are turned on when a circuit is completed between the mating connectors and the communication devices. Additionally, LEDs can be mounted on the printed circuit board to indicate a number of other conditions including the passage of communications signals between the two communication devices, indication of power, or indication that an error in transmitting the signals has occurred. So called light pipes can be provided in connection with these types of indicator functions or for other purposes.
Small size connectors must usually be within an exterior shielding cage in order to provide protection from electromagnetic interference, or EMI. Having such cages readily accommodate the connector array needed for a particular application, while providing excellent EMT protection, are objectives not easily achieved, especially given the smaller desired sizes of cages for applications.
Problems have been encountered in the design and manufacturability of such systems. One of the problems involves providing a system wherein the connector modules can be mounted above the mother board in arrays and spacings than can vary with the application, such as for specific routers or servers or other equipment. Heretofore, different frame structures often had to be provided to afford different stacked arrays and/or spacings. The present invention is directed to solving these problems by simple modifications which allow for the use of the same frame structure components for differently configured connectors.